Sudan's RSF recruiting Central African citizens for Sudan war, UN says
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The United Nations concluded that the Sudanese Rapid Support Forces are using the Central African Republic to recruit fighters to join the Sudan war within their ranks.
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Sudanese soldiers from the Rapid Support Forces in the East Nile province, Sudan, on June 22, 2019. (AP)
United Nations experts revealed Friday that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) have been using the Central African Republic (CAR) as a "supply line" to recruit new fighters, expressing concerns about the "implications" of the ongoing war.
The report, produced by a panel of experts tasked by the UN Security Council to monitor the sanctions regime in CAR, highlighted the significant impact of the conflict that erupted in Sudan in April 2023.
The war, between the Sudanese army led by Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the RSF headed by Mohammed Hamdan Dagalo, has had "substantial consequences on the situation in the Central African Republic."
The experts detailed the humanitarian situation, noting the influx of thousands of Sudanese refugees and "incursions into CAR territory" by both factions of the Sudanese conflict, particularly around the Am Dafok border crossing controlled by the RSF.
The experts warned that this situation "continues to pose a threat to the security of civilians and hinders humanitarian activities in the region."
The report emphasized that the RSF uses the Am Dafok area on the CAR side of the border as a "key logistical hub," allowing them to "move easily" across the border due to a long-established network.
The report also confirmed that the RSF has been "recruiting members from armed groups in CAR."
Other regional armed groups participating
The experts suspect that "armed opposition groups in CAR have recruited fighters to send to Sudan under the banner of the RSF and have also sent some of their own members to fight."
The report specifically mentioned that the "Popular Front for the Rebirth of the Central African Republic has been participating in the fighting in Sudan since August 2023," adding that along with other armed groups, they "continue to move freely between Sudan and CAR, using Sudanese territory to launch attacks in Vakaga State" in CAR.
The experts urged CAR authorities to "combat the resurgence of arms smuggling from neighboring countries, especially in light of the ongoing conflict in Sudan, and to prevent the infiltration of foreign fighters into CAR, which poses a significant long-term threat to the region."
Additionally, the UN Security Council on Thursday called for the lifting of the siege of the Sudanese city of al-Fasher by the RSF and an end to the fighting around this major city in the Darfur region, where hundreds of thousands of civilians are currently trapped.
Internally displaced in Sudan to reach 10 million people: IOM
The UN's International Organization for Migration (IOM) said earlier in the month that the internally displaced in Sudan as a result of the war could amount to 10 million in the coming days.
In a statement, the IOM said, "The International Organization for Migration (IOM) is warning that the number of people displaced by conflict inside Sudan could top 10 million in the coming days. The world’s worst internal displacement crisis continues to escalate, with looming famine and disease adding to the havoc wrought by conflict."
It added that around 9.9 million people are now internally displaced in all 18 areas of Sudan, and more than half of them are women with over a quarter being children under the age of five.
In total, some 12 million have been forced to flee their homes in Sudan, with more than two million crossing borders into neighboring countries, principally to Chad, South Sudan, and Egypt, it concluded.
The United Nations children's agency UNICEF issued an urgent appeal for action earlier in May to protect children amid escalating violence in Sudan's North Darfur region. Expressing profound concern, UNICEF Executive Director Catherine Russell highlighted the intensifying violence in North Darfur, particularly in and around al-Fasher city.
